New to forum - question on bladder prolapse

Hi Peacegarden and welcome. Not too much time to write at the moment, but let me give you a quick suggestion. Don't think about the breathing so much, try thinking about just these top two things: keeping lower belly relaxed, and keeping the chest pulled up. Chest pulled up strongly will keep you from having that beer-belly feeling. Keeping the belly muscles relaxed will take care of the breathing and the lumbar curve. I'm kind of over-simplifying, and I (and others) will have plenty more to add. You're off to a great start. - Surviving

Hi again Peacegarden - don't "over-think" your breathing as you go about your day. When you are ready to learn firebreathing, that's always a bit of a challenge at first because then you really HAVE to get the breathing right. But the rest of the time, just concentrate on keeping the belly relaxed all the time (whether breathing in or out) and the chest pulled up. That will keep you in posture without making your head spin trying to remember everything.

Everyone's results are different, but it's safe to say that you will always have your prolapse. The difference is that you will learn tools to control your symptoms, which in turn controls your fear of making things worse and allows you to get on with your life. I am still noticing improvements after almost 2 years. My latest big epiphany is realizing that this posture is not just about prolapse but about keeping your body strong and stable as you get older, and setting the stage for avoidance of hip problems later. I guess my bones are really settling into posture at a more permanent level. I stand up straighter and feel happier in my body than I did in the pre-prolapse years. That does not happen overnight.

As you do Christine's exercises, be sure you are doing them in excellent posture. Because once you get the feel for things, you will be able to judge what other activities are good and safe. Train your body and then you will be able to trust what it tells you. - Surviving

Surviving60, thanks for sharing your latest epiphany. I never thought about this posture setting the stage for avoidance of hip problems later on. WOW!! That helps to spur us on. Who wants to have hip problems? Thanks so much.

Jaylove

Jaylove, be sure to read Christine's articles about the "neutral pelvis".

Hi Peacegarden, I, too, am fairly new here as well as to bladder prolapse. Thankfully I found this site before I got really involved with the medical field and their "solutions". I did a LOT of research and there is, sadly, very little information on dealing with prolapse non-surgically.

I've had a bladder prolapse for about 3 months now and was also shocked when this happened. I have had a lot of challenges in learning the WW posture and in being consistent in implementing it. I do heartily agree with Surviving60 that the WW way of life has to be better for your body (bones, muscles, better functionality of your digestive system, etc.) as you age and I'm 56 with, hopefully, several more happy years ahead.

I have walked with my stomach held in since I was old enough to care about my appearance to others. Also, I was informed in an exercise video that holding in your stomach is one of the easiest ways to strengthen your stomach muscles without exercising because it's something you can do all the time. Needless to say, it's a challenge for me to now think about relaxing those muscles.

I have read Christine's newest book and refer to it often. My memory isn't what it used to be and I often need reminders about proper WW posture and in trying to remain hopeful that with work and time I may be able to at least keep my prolapse from worsening. Hopefully it will improve as it has for many others here!

I have found that using a pessary works extremely well for me to keep from having that "bulge feeling" all the time. That pressure is VERY uncomfortable and I'm not heavy either (5'7", 109 lbs.). I'm not sure how much your weight plays into the amount of pressure a woman with prolapse feels because everyone's prolapse is different.

I'm disabled and unable to do so many of the WW exercises as Christine presents them. I do some WW exercises on almost a daily basis and still need to find more creative ways to incorporate more of these without needing to stand.

This is a very helpful site!

Funny Foot Girl

Surviving60, I will read it right after Easter Sunday. I want to say "Happy, Happy Easter" to you, Christine, Louise and all the wonderful, hard-working, perservering and awesome Ladies on this forum. Hope everyone has a good one.

Jaylove

Next weekend marks end of my first month with a uterine prolapse. Fortunately I found Christine's articles and website on my second day of total panic. I ordered and read the book and immediately ordered the DVD and the baton which were 9 days in transit to northern PA. Yesterday I actually chased the mailman down the street demanding my package which I'd tracked online the night before! I loved the intro with Christine in her morning mode. Decided to start walking again but with WW posture and try to stop being afraid I'd go from stage 2 to 3 if I moved briskly. Parts of the workout went well, especially the stretches at the end, some of which I do in pilates. Same for the point and flex part. My waterloo seems to be tendu and any ballet terms. I watch the feet on the DVD and they seem to flick from front to side to back and I don't keep up well. And where on the site can I find a very elementary explanation of nauli? I always thought of the belly as one unit and now I am moving parts of it separately (upper and lower)! I plan to try the fire breathing on all fours and try to concentrate on the inhale and exhale completely. In the ww workout I am getting stymied and hung up on the ballet terms. Completely blew fifth position in the workout. Often the DVD just shows me the feet and I try to remember what my arms should be doing at the same time. Is this general newbie behavior? I do remember that I had coordination problems with arms, feet and breathing in pilates initially.

As a sidenote about pilates: there is still a lot of it I can do like elephant which is downward dog. I'll just quit mat where there's too much neutral spine. The acute and obtuse angle explanation is going to be my gold standard here. I have promised myself that I will wait until fall before I start allowing any impatience to set in. Till then it will have to be baby steps but no whining (ugh)! Yes, Christine, I do count my blessings, but cultivating patience is a new virtue for me!

Hi silverfox46 I am definitely NO expert still cannot get every "step"down correctly but have you tried muting it and just viewing? Also at the end I just do the step that I am comfortable with usually in place as I am not good at following moves either. I figure some is better than none and if it feels good I try to add a step next time. Also I have found if I actually get a move, I do it much more fluidly of I avert my gaze from the tv and just feel the move ... Then go back. I pause it to to stay with ones I want more time with. Just suggestions from a fellow newbie who also chased her mailman down to get my package!!!!

Hey Silverfox, you are certainly setting the bar high for yourself! Good grief, I didn’t even have the DVD for my first year and a half, just the book. By the time I got the DVD, I had the posture down, and even then I found some of the ballet moves hard (and I’ve even taken some classes in my day!). Just find some moves that feel good and aren’t hard to remember, and concentrate on them. Add things in as you can. Remember that this is all about reinforcing the posture, which is very hard to remember in the early days. In the course of my life I have learned to do many of these moves in the “tucked” position, and this is like starting from scratch! But you know what? I never understood why these moves never felt that good before, and now they do.

If you've ever read a Harry Potter book or seen an HP movie, I'm the exact fit for Hermione! She always tackles her problems by heading for the library and doing research which is how I found Christine after my first day of panic. I decided to add the DVD and the baton after having the book for a week. I don't know how long I've had POP without knowing it but only felt it the night after my annual pap smear and exam three weeks ago. I am hoping that getting all the possible info I can and working out a program of trial and error for me will stabilize me. Hey, what can you expect from an ex-federal librarian used to multimedia?! Off to try some fire breathing. Thanks for the helpful comments as usual!

Hi Silverfox

Hey, another person from Library World! At least you understand about multimedia. I first started my Library studies when email was just starting, you know, the DOS days? WWW and hyperlinks came along a year or so later.

Try YouTube for videos about nauli. It is not on this site or in any of our resources. Why reinvent the wheel?

I think you will find that you are having difficulty with the tendus because the muscles around your hips are not strong enough yet. You may be butt-tucking unconsciously, or else letting your hip on the 'tendu-ing'/working side, sag. Your pelvis is 'hanging' from your lower rib cage by the quadratus lumborum at the back. If it is not strong the hip is likely to sag down and back, putting that side of your pelvis into counternutation, and allowing your pelvic organs to slip down the slope. Lifting your ribcage will lift your working hip.The hip is also stabilised by the muscles that control adduction and abduction of the hip joint, and rotation of the hip joint. These need to strengthen too.

Don't try and lift your foot too high in tendu. Stop going higher when you can feel your hip sagging down, or your rib cage dropping.

I would suggest that you don't get too hung up on the number descriptions of the foot positions or the arm positions. Just treat it as a lead and follow routine which uses feet/legs and arms, concentrating on what it feels like and, to a lesser degree, looks like. After all, we are not learning classical ballet, simply using the ballet positions as starting points, and cultivating turn-out during exercise. I like Ang411's tip of muting the video and just copying the moves from what you see.

Louise

Hi everyone I am new to the forum just 1 week and 5 days into it. I am extremely depressed and really do not know what to do. I am 61 years old had one child back in 1983. In 1986 I had a hysterectomy and was fine till 2004 when I developed a cysotcele and rectocele. Had them repaired and was fine till I got a bad cold and cough in Feb. I felt a pop and now believe my cytoclel has returned.
After reading the book and watching the video I get the impression that there is not much that can be done for someone like me. The exercises and posture only work if you have your uterus. I would be happy to hear form anyone that can help out. I really do not want to have surgery again because this probably would only happen again over time.

Welcome fltony. The process of re-learning natural posture can be beneficial to any woman, in ways that are not limited to prolapse stabilization. That being said, you aren't going to have the same degree of cystocele improvement as someone who has had no surgeries might experience. You have had quite a few, and the changes in your body caused by these surgeries will affect your experience with WW posture. If you try it for awhile, and it feels good and doesn't cause you discomfort in and of itself, it may help to hold the bladder forward. Or it may not. Only you can decide if you can live with what you have, or go for further surgery. The posture, in my opinion, is worth doing either way.

Hi and welcome, Fitony,

I can only second what Surviving has already said. We have a *huge* educational process to do in the world regarding these surgeries. They virtually always fail eventually and from my perspective, the more vaginal tissue a woman is left with, the better. The "A&P repairs" are preposterous surgeries from every aspect. They do not work, and furthermore, from a strictly anatomical framework, they cannot work. If a woman "must" have a hysterectomy, every attempt should be made to leave her vagina as long and wide as possible to close down against intraabdominal pressure, as your vagina must have for several years post hyst. Once they begin to "narrow" the vagina through these second-phase surgeries, a woman is set up for much more serious problems.

You still have your bladder and intestines, which need to be carried forward against your lower belly. Because both of these are connected to your front and back vaginal walls, if you tip the entire pelvic and abdominal contents forward with this posture, you may see that your vagina follows and you can stabilize your condition 'enough'. An external support garment, the V2 supporter, may be very helpful as well.

Hopefully you will join us in the urgent work of bringing attention to the most common, yet destructive of surgeries performed on human beings.

Wishing you well,

Christine

When I had my annual physical in Feb, my Dr mentioned a uterine prolapse. I was surprised because I didn't realize I had this problem. Since then, it has progressed to stage 2 cytocele and I definitely notice it. I started doing research into this and discovered your site - for which I thank you very much, Christine. I also thank all the women who have posted questions and those who have offered the benefit of their knowledge. I have ordered the book, dvd and batons and can't wait for them to arrive.

My job requires me to be on my feet for the better part of 3 - 6 hours (depending on my shift) and a fair bit of lifting. The cases are often anywhere from 28 - 35 lbs. Any suggestions on how to lift without forcing my prolapse lower? I know and use proper lifting technique, but it is becoming more uncomfortable.

Welcome to the forum, Lamb! I've been trying to search for a good thread for you with general suggestions for lifting. I found this list courtesy of Louise:

1 If you think it is too heavy it probably is. Break the load into parts or get help.

2 Bend from the hips, not the waist.

3 Stick your butt out the back and let your spine be horizontal with a strong lumbar curve.

4 Use your thigh muscles which are designed for lifting.

5 Keep the load close to your body.

6 Use all the joints in your body as a zigzag, which spreads the load. [Not sure exactly what this means...]

Lamb, I think that also once you start to learn the WW posture, you will be able to get lots of clues from your body as to what's good and what's bad. If I'm in very good posture, carrying extra weight correctly makes my organs feel more stable, not less. There is quite a learning curve for all of this.

Can you carrying anything on your head at work (without being ridiculed)? In correct WW posture, lots of weight on the head makes me almost not even feel my 'celes. That's how women have carried things throughout history. Anyway, lots of luck to ya - Surviving

I will keep your advice in mind. I have been practicing WW posture as best I can and am more aware of how I walk. I don't drive, so I do walk a lot. Now I'm 'walking taller' and it is becoming easier to stay in WW posture rather than slouching. Also, I carry either a backpack or a crossbody bag (not heavy) so the weight is balanced.

As for carrying things on my head at work - I really don't think so. I work at our local liquor mart and the cases are full of bottles. If I tried to carry them on my head, I think I would be doing a lot of clean up!! I will, however, try to do this at home.

Thanks for your advice.

OK, no walking around with cases of liquor on your head...I can agree with that!

I tend to carry a lot of stuff around with me, and if I stay in good WW posture and distribute it evenly between my two shoulders (everything I carry has a shoulder strap) I actually feel good walking around loaded down. Keep that belly relaxed and chest pulled up, you won't even have to worry about the lumbar curve because it will be there!